I was totally not planning on making this recipe. Actually, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Don’t tell anyone…….I actually never really know what I am doing. I am not one of those bloggers who have a two year plan and post strategically to get the most views. Those bloggers truly amaze me and they have lovely and stunning blogs that are full time jobs, but I just keep posting on my blog because I love to cook and I love having a record of my recipes. I hate marketing and deadlines and statistics, so I decided that this blog will be all about giving me a creative outlet and making me happy. And if it starts to become stressful, its usually because I let myself get sucked into trying too hard to impress or make money. Most of the time, when I am truly happy and passionate, my recipes come from those days when I have no idea what to make for dinner and I just start adding ingredients until I have something delicious. When it works, I write it down on a thank you card (because I bought a huge box of them on discount five years ago and that’s usually the closest piece of paper to me in the kitchen) and then I make it again to make sure it wasn’t a fluke and take a picture.
Or sometimes I dream up recipes as I wander the isles of the grocery store. Or as I eat chocolate chips on the couch with a fuzzy blanket and a brainstorming notebook while my Little naps. Or sometimes my husband has a request or idea. If I am not sure about a certain method of cooking, I research the heck out of it and then adapt it to work in my recipes. I’m not a trained cook and half the time I am probably doing things the complete opposite of how it would be taught in culinary school. I could never be on a fancy cooking competition show and I could care less if my veggies are all cut into the same perfect shapes. I’m addicted to chocolate and equally addicted to veggies. I’m experimental and go with the flow and I usually have an extra set of tiny, chubby hands snitching and stirring along with me.
I will never have a perfectly structured blog with recipes for every holiday and occasion every year, but I promise that I will always post yummy food that I have tested and that my family loves. And by golly, I am happy. I absolutely love it. I don’t care if anyone else in the world reads this blog, because it makes me happy to simply be creating and using my brain and my hands.
That’s my secret. I just do what I feel like and it makes me happy.
This recipe is one of those recipes where I just started chopping stuff up, not knowing what I was creating until it was done. This dip is made of sautéed onions, sweet peppers, jalapeños, tomatoes, and garlic. Add some smoked paprika, a lot of corn, and a little cheese and sour cream, and you’ve got yourself a addicting dip that is perfect for parties or just as a side dish to taco night. I made this as a side dish to some lentil tacos and we ate the whole batch before the lentils finished cooking. It never made it to the table. Addicting, I tell you!
I love using it as a dip for tortilla chips, but it would be divine on top of a taco salad, over a loaded baked potato, or served over beans and rice. The great thing about this recipe is that it uses way less cheese and creamy good stuff than other corn dip recipes. It is still a little more indulgent than my usual veggie recipes, but it is way healthier than many other corn dip recipes which sometimes call for multiple kinds of cheese, sour cream, butter, and cream cheese.
Ingredients:
- 1 TBSP. butter
- 1/4 red onion, diced
- 3 small sweet peppers, diced (about 1/3 C.)
- 1 jalapeno, diced
- 1 large garlic clove, minced or pressed
- 1/2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 2 small tomatoes, diced
- 2 cans corn, drained (or 30 oz. frozen or fresh corn)
- 1/3 C. shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/3 C. sour cream ( fat free, light, or full fat all work great)
- 1/2 tsp. lime juice
Directions:
1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, sweet peppers, and jalapenos and sauté until the onions are soft.
2. Add the garlic, salt, and smoked paprika and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and corn and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Stir in the cheese, sour cream, and lime juice. Taste and add more salt as needed.
4. Serve with tortilla chips. This dip would also be good on a baked potato or sweet potato, as a relish on a taco or salad, served over beans and rice, or just eaten with a spoon.
